As always, a special thank you to Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/ for this great data. Stop in and listen to their unique radio show Accidental Nostalgia with Norm & Jane On Radio Dentata - 60 minutes of rare records and nugatory narration. NOW TUESDAYS at 4PM PT / 7PM ET for a complete rundown of the Top 5 with trivia and tidbits.

Over the past 20 years, the Eugene man has turned his huge record collection into the largest record convention in the Northwest.

This year's convention takes place Sunday at the Eugene Hilton. Audiophiles, professional buyers and ordinary people looking for that rare vinyl gem are expected to turn out. Finneran says vendors from all over the country will have some 50,000 to 100,000 records for sale.

Finneran insists "a record convention is for everybody, not just for record collectors."

Classic Rock magazine is reporting that Joe Perry approached Paul Rodgers last November at an awards ceremony to see if he would be interested in taking over as lead singer of Aerosmith.

The magazine's Jerry Ewing overheard the conversation at his table. "The next thing, Perry is starting to tell Rodgers that they have problems with Tyler and that they intend to carry on regardless – and how great it would be if Rodgers took the slot, and would he be interested in trying out? If I remember correctly there were the usual ‘how flattering’ platitudes but no real commitment, as you’d expect, nor refusal."

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Turner Classic Movies Picks 15 Most Influential Soundtracks

In celebration of the upcoming Grammy Awards, Turner Classic Movies has announced their picks for the 15 Most Influential Movie Soundtracks.

"It is nearly impossible to think of certain films without remembering their music scores. Casablanca, Laura, An Affair to Remember, The Magnificent Seven – the list is endless," said TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne. "Our list celebrates the most memorable and groundbreaking soundtracks, the ones which took the art of film music to new levels and made the most lasting impact on the world of movies."

The list not only singles out some great movie soundtracks, but includes a host of great musical artists from over the last fifty years. From Bill Haley & the Comets to Isaac Hayes, there is an amazing amount of well-known hits scattered among these records.

Per TCM, they used several criteria in picking these soundtracks including "the impact they have had on how music is used onscreen to tell a story and on the methodology of song selection. Their influence is also defined by their impact on pop culture."

Eminem, Lil Wayne, Drake and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker will come together for a “special performance” on this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, the official Grammy Twitter revealed this morning. Based on the talent involved, it’s safe to assume the rappers will perform a rocked-up rendition of their hit “Forever,” which was overlooked in for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. However, the fourth rapper featured on that track, Kanye West, was not added as a performer, even though West is a nominee on three of the five songs that are up for the Best Rap Collaboration Grammy. Perhaps producers feared another “incident.” As it stands now, the performance will also likely be Lil Wayne’s last major television appearance before he heads off to prison in February.

Sunday night’s show will feature Green Day performing alongside the cast of their American Idiot musical, as well as a tribute to guitarist Les Paul featuring Jeff Beck and Imelda May. Elton John, Roberta Flack and Jennifer Nettles have joined the lineup of performers. And the Grammys also announced this head-scratching combo: Jamie Foxx and T-Pain performing with Slash and Doug E. Fresh.

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Clooney’s Hope For Haiti Now Album On Track To Top U.s. Charts

The HOPE FOR HAITI NOW album, featuring songs performed during GEORGE CLOONEY’s TV benefit last week (22Jan10), will hit the number one spot on the U.S. charts on Wednesday (26Jan10).

The telethon tracks became available as downloads via iTunes immediately after Friday night’s star-studded show, which raised over $60 million (?37.5 million) for the relief effort in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and fans have rushed to be part of the historic benefit.

The album has already topped the iTunes chart, while Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris’ version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah has shot to the top of the iTunes singles countdown.

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DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS ANNOUNCE NEW TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OFTHE BIG TO-DO DUE OUT MARCH 16 / FREE MP3 AVAILABLE

The Drive-By Truckers announce the first part of The Big To-Do tour, screenings of their documentary, The Secret To A Happy Ending, unveil the album cover for The Big To-Do and offer free MP3.
The Big To-Do is slated for release on March 16, 2010 on ATO Records. Leading up to the release the band will play some weekend runs before kicking off The Big To-Do tour with a two night stand in Atlanta and then heading to SXSW. More dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

DBT and ATO Records are offering up the first single, "This Fucking Job," from The Big To-Do for free: download.atorecords.com/dbt/this_fucking_job.mp3

The premiere screening of the DBT documentary, The Secret To A Happy Ending, is scheduled for February 5, 2010 at AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. This is a film about the redemptive power of rock & roll; it's about the American South, where rock was born; it's about a band straddling the borders of rock, punk and country; it's about making art, making love and making a living; it's about the Drive-By Truckers. Director Barr Weissman, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Brad Morgan will be on hand for a Q&A after the screening.

This is the seventh DBT album that has featured original artwork by Wes Freed. The band has a very special relationship with Wes, they never tell him what to draw and often give him no input at all, yet he always seems to find some subtext, often one they didn't know was there, that he brings out and runs with. That relationship has hit a new level on this album, as he basically illustrated every song. He honed in on the circus allusions of The Rock Show and how it all could be tied together in The Big To-Do. Look for more pieces to be unveiled in the weeks prior to release date.

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Former Misfits Drummer Brian "Damage" Keats Passes Away

Brian "Damage" Keats, the former drummer for such legendary American punk bands as Verbal Abuse, Misfits and Genocide, has passed away after a battle with cancer. He was fourty six years old and is survived by his wife and child. Keats was born in Brooklyn, New York and performed in the last incantation of Misfits to feature frontman Glen Danzig. After The Misfits finished, he racked up an impressive resume of bands by joining the likes of Hellbound, The Skulls, Angels In Vain and Wink, amongst many others.

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Joanna Newsom announces triple album

Singer-songwriter and harpist Joanna Newsom has revealed the first details of her third album, the follow-up to 2006's acclaimed orchestral opus Ys. Now unveiled as a triple LP, Have One On Me will be released internationally on 23 February.

Despite her youth (she is just 28), and her home in hippie-dippy breezy California, Newsom is notorious for her meticulous compositions and conspicuous virtuosity – instrumental, lyrical and conceptual. On Ys, she sang intricate narratives of longing and loss, bolstered by arrangements by Van Dyke Parks. Her 2007 EP, Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band, took an early song, Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie, and added more elaborate instrumentation.

Yesterday, Newsom released the first official sample of Have One On Me, a track called '81. It is streaming now at the website of US label Drag City. The track has Newsom performing solo with harp, singing a serious story about love and trust in the Garden of Eden. Her voice has mellowed, sounding more conventionally pretty. '81's melody is brambled, shifting, and not meant for humming.

Of course, three LPs requires a lot of material. '81 might not be a long track but Newsom has played many new tunes at recent concerts, several of them epic. Though the tracklist for Have One On Me has yet to be released, there's much talk of songs like Jack Rabbits, Soft As Chalk, and Esme. The new album, Newsom reportedly told Australian radio, is a "cross" between her first and second records.

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LANDMINE MARATHON: 'Sovereign Descent' Artwork Unveiled

Phoenix, Arizona's LANDMINE MARATHON has unveiled the cover art of its forthcoming album, "Sovereign Descent", due out March 16, 2010 on Prosthetic Records. The cover art was handled by acclaimed artist Dan Seagrave, who's done covers for acts such as ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, MORBID ANGEL, SUFFOCATION and many more.

Bassist Matt Martinez commented on the cover and working with Seagrave: "The artwork Dan Seagrave created is nothing short of amazing, and, in our biased opinion, some of his best work to date. We are extremely excited and honored to have been able to work with him."

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Ahoora Reveals "Awkward Diary" Cover Art

Ahoora has revelaed the cover art for the Iranian metal band's long awaiting third album, “Awkward Diary.” “Awkward Diary” will be out mid February via Washington, D.C’s Iranian label Zirzamin. The album will be available worldwide on CD and also digitally within the major online music stores. Below, you can see the front cover of “Awkward Diary,” which was exclusively done for Ahoora by Richard Baxter.